The Top Art Galleries in Uruguay

The main art hubs in Uruguay are Montevideo and the Punta del Este area on the east coast. Visit Montevideo’s Old Town to see a big conglomeration of art galleries and museums, and hit Punta del Este in high season to experience the best that the galleries have to offer. There’s also ESTE ARTE, an art fair that is held in Punta del Este every year, featuring international and local art. Here, we take a look at the best galleries in both areas of the country.

Galería Del Paseo, Punta del Este, Uruguay

Located in the coastal city of Punta del Este since 2004, Del Paseo Gallery focuses on promoting Uruguayan and Latin American contemporary artists. The gallery is large, with spacious exhibition rooms and a projector to display video art. There is a lot of space to observe the pieces individually in every exhibition. Its busiest times are during high season, in the Uruguayan summer (December to March). It has participated in a variety of art fairs and organized touring exhibitions in both South and North America.

Galería Diana Saravia, Montevideo, Uruguay

Diana Saravia is the owner of this gallery; she moved from a small town in the countryside near to Montevideo to pursue a career in fine arts. It was then that she decided to open the Diana Saravia Gallery, with the intention that it should be a liaison between Uruguayan artists and collectors. The small gallery deals with big Uruguayan names from the beginning of the 19th century, and also with contemporary Uruguayan artists.

Photology, Pueblo Garzón, Uruguay

First established in Milan, Photology was the first gallery in Italy to specialize solely in the photographic arts. Since 2015, the gallery has operated in Pueblo Garzón, a small town in the east of Uruguay that has recently gained a lot of popularity because of new investment in the area. The gallery exhibits only during high season, from December to March. If you enjoy photography, you can find some classics and make some new discoveries.

Galería Sur, Punta del Este, Uruguay

Galería Sur opened its doors in 1984 in Punta del Este. It specializes in the historic avant-garde of the Río de la Plata, but also deals with classic Latin American masters such as Joaquín Torres García, Fernando Botero, Wifredo Lam, José Gurvich, and Antonio Berni, among others. The gallery recently decided to promote contemporary artists, so there’s now a wide selection of works exhibited at any given time.

Xippas Galleries, Montevideo and Punta del Este, Uruguay

Xippas Galleries are all over the world: there are two in Uruguay, one in Montevideo, and another one in the main coastal city of Punta del Este. The gallery in Montevideo is open all year round and usually has more exhibitions and material to see, while the one in Punta del Este is a seasonal gallery that usually only opens during the Uruguayan summer and focuses on international contemporary art.

Galería Ciudadela, Montevideo, Uruguay

This is quite a traditional gallery, which is featured on the museums and galleries tour of the Montevideo Old Town. It’s a good place to stop by if you’re walking around the narrow streets of this neighborhood and would like to explore the art of the region. You will mainly find paintings by classic and emerging Uruguayan artists. Ciudadela Gallery has been around since 1982, having been one of the first of its kind to open its doors in the capital. Now, it’s a familiar name, and a favorite of many locals.

Galería Los Caracoles, José Ignacio, Uruguay

José Ignacio is an exclusive resort 25 miles (40 kilometres) from Punta del Este, mainly visited by international tourists during high season. Los Caracoles Gallery aims to create an alternative space for showing contemporary art in the resort, and as such is a pioneer in the area. The aesthetics of the gallery and the artists they choose to represent are carefully curated to complement the setting of José Ignacio. Every summer, the gallery gets busy with art lovers and collectors from all over the world.

La Pecera, Punta del Este, Uruguay

La Pecera, which means “The Fishbowl,” is a hybrid of two artists’ studios and an exhibition space. It’s an artist-run gallery where you can see and talk to the artists, Martín Pelenur and Santiago Aldabalde, in their studios, and also ask about the artists that they represent and exhibit. La Pecera is a platform for generating new projects and giving visibility to contemporary artists from the region.